An Ice Coffin
by Fox LeFay
Summary: After the great thaw, Elsa thought Anna would be fine. After all, her sacrifice broke the curse, and all the ice in her heart had thawed. But it seems the curse had more dire consequences than any of them could have prepared for.
1. The Discovery

**Here's chapter one of what should be a medium-length fic. I will disclose that this fic will eventually feature a romantic pairing of Elsa and Anna, but I'll be sure to give plenty of heads up when that actually occurs, just in case you want to give me the benefit of the doubt and read around that. **

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The very first time it happened, Elsa felt like her heart had been ripped from her chest. A silence fell over every inch of the castle following the cry that tore from her throat with the ferocity of a stabbed beast. It sounded to the world like the queen might have been caught in an assassination attempt, but anyone within earshot knew the only thing that could illicit such raw emotion from their icy leader.

Their suspicions were confirmed when the staff found the door to Anna's room splintered under the weight of the steadily growing layer of frost Elsa had been conjuring in her new wave of grief, only for the entryway to be sealed off by a solid block of ice. She knelt by the bed, a desperate mess that no one dared disturb. Storm clouds hung outside of the castle with the same ominous presence as a thousand loaded cannons. They were choked back by the same flood of emotion that froze the blizzard she had summoned just a month earlier when she believed her sister had died by the ice she planted in her heart. It was clear that the queen wanted no one to intrude and so Kai and Gerda retreated to the ground floor and prayed that the clouds wouldn't open up, damning them to a winter so much worse than their last. They prayed to be spared the power of their brokenhearted queen. They prayed for their princess.

Elsa emerged from her sister's chambers, her cheeks soaked, eyes a furious shade of red, and hair frosted at the tips. Her words were weak, rising barely above a whisper, but the servants couldn't have missed them.

"The trolls."

It was a royal decree underneath its delivery in a ragged breath, after all, and Kai scrambled to get a carriage ready. Elsa nodded in gratitude and returned upstairs to retrieve her sister. When she descended the steps once again, she carried Anna in her arms, the princess's body limp against her, her hair and skin as white as the snow the blonde was just barely keeping in check. Kai reached out to help her and a wall of ice shot up between them, nearly knocking him over. Elsa offered no apology to the man in her gaze, and simply stated, solemnly, "I've got her." She followed him soundlessly to the carriage.

As Kai flicked the reins to urge the horse into motion, Elsa cradled Anna, keeping her as close to her as possible as they glided over the roads of the town and into the depths of the woods. The queen's shoulders shook with silent sobs as she buried her face against her sister's neck, desperate to feel a strong pulse, hoping against all reason that wanting her back badly enough would return the color to Anna's cheeks and that _needing_ her would cause the girl to fling her arms around her sister's neck.

It took Kai's cautious rapping at the carriage door to arrest her attention and alert her that the ride was over and the destination had been reached. She made the familiar journey towards the circle of rocks with mist in her eyes, indulging in the optimistic habits she had borrowed from her sister to allow herself the naïve hope that they could help. The ground shook as the trolls rolled to attention, making the way for Grand Pabbie as he cut a path through them. Elsa knelt in front of him, laying Anna on the ground in front of her, finally finding herself unable to stand. She ran her fingers along the ginger's cheek and looked to the wise troll, at a loss for words.

"I found her like this, just this morning," the snow queen finally strung a statement together, and allowed the troll to get closer to her sister. He gathered one of Anna's braids in his hand, very nearly holding his breath as he examined it. Glancing at the princess's face, Grand Pabbie gathered himself before attempting to ask the question that hung over them all.

"Your Majesty, are you sure you haven't used any magic—"

Elsa recoiled from the troll's question with unbridled ferocity, needles of ice rising behind her. She practically snarled, "You're asking me if I hurt her?" _Again?_ The unspoken admission died on her lips. As much as it pained her to admit, it was a valid question. Time and again, she swore to protect Anna, but it seemed like they always ended up here, running to the trolls for a magical solution to an even bigger magical problem. _An abomination_. Even now, when posed with an innocent question, her temper flared and she had attempted to use her powers to escape blame. She felt like a caged animal, and she reached out to rub her thumb along the freckles that dotted Anna's shoulder before she continued, "I'm sorry. I've been careful not to touch her with any magic."

Grand Pabbie nodded and waved his hand over Anna's chest. Elsa's heart nearly stopped, but she patiently awaited the explanation. "There is still ice in your sister's heart," he said and even the calm voice of the elder couldn't soften the blow. Elsa felt something tugging in her throat and she fought it down. That can't be all the troll had to say. He had to have some trick to try and she refused to break down until then. He cleared his throat and asked, "What act of love saved the princess's life before?"

The queen let her mind wander back to the afternoon when Anna saved her life. She remembered each moment as clearly as if it had just unfolded before her and she suspected it would be indelibly etched in the darkness behind her eyelids. After Hans had convinced her that her sister was dead, Elsa fell to her knees on the frozen fjord and awaited the sensation of the steel against her skin. The urge to fight had all but fled from her. The sound of two voices flooded her ears. One was a man she didn't recognize, but the other was her sister, plucked from the grave to stand between her worthless sister and a coward's blade. She turned to ice before her very eyes and for the second time in a soul-crushing minute, she had lost what was most important to her.

"Anna sacrificed herself for me," Elsa confessed, feeling almost ashamed of the fact.

The troll spoke slowly, almost as if he was working out a difficult riddle, "So the princess performed the act of love that saved her own life. How unusual."

It was then that Elsa thought of a possible solution to their problem. When Anna risked her life, she had had another option ahead of her. Kristoff had been running to save her. From what she had seen of her sister and the ice harvester, he truly loved her. "Maybe she made the wrong choice," she mumbled aloud, turning to Grand Pabbie, "I think I know who can help us." She collected Anna and thanked the troll leader guardedly.

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"I still don't think I understand. I thought she was alright," Kristoff said, concern creasing his brow as he followed behind Gerda. He had just spoken to the princess yesterday, as she came down to the stables with an armful of carrots for him and Sven. There was no way she could have fallen ill in the span of less than twenty four hours. It would have to be magically bad luck… _Or just magic_, he thought bitterly. He was more than willing to give Elsa the benefit of the doubt in most situations, but there was no other explanation he could think of.

He noticed the splintered mess of the door and he couldn't stop his mind from jumping to the conclusion he had been grappling with since Kai told him he was needed in the castle. Anna was resting on her bed and Elsa sat beside her, legs crossed, her gaze locked squarely on Kristoff. The blonde man refused to take a step forward.

"What did you do to her?" he accused from the doorway, trying his best not to raise his voice, but knowing that any precautionary measures were likely in vain. The queen's lip curled, and she stood, taking a few menacing steps forward with a harsh blue glow emitting from her balled fists, but she realized it would do absolutely nothing for her case if she impaled Anna's last hope.

Instead, she sighed, "I wouldn't test me right now, Kristoff. Anna needs you to kiss her. There's still ice in her heart." She spoke in curt sentences, feeling the lump in her throat return as she tried her best to bring the ice harvester up to speed, "I already brought her to your family and they were entirely unhelpful, but I think an act of true love should do the trick again. So if you'd kindly?" She gestured towards her sister, surveying Kristoff's face to make sure he understood her request.

He lumbered towards the bed without another word, and leaned over the girl's figure. Looking back at Elsa, he reached down and kissed Anna cupping her cheek in his large hand and trying his best to recall everything he loved about her. Delivering true love's kiss seemed so easy in fairytales, but it really had the ability to make one feel like an ass when absolutely nothing happened after he removed his lips. He turned apologetically towards the queen and looked back down at Anna in disbelief.

"I'm sorry," he managed, his shoulders slumped in disbelief.

Elsa's every muscle tensed and it took all of her self control to ask Kristoff to leave, as brokenhearted as the young man was. He had offered to stay in case Anna showed improvement over the course of the evening and the queen bit her lip and insisted on being alone. With him safely removed from the castle, Elsa could finally cry.

The clouds that had been threatening the palace since the discovery of the princess finally erupted, and an icy, blizzard mix pummeled the towers with an erratic ferocity. She paced the room with shallow breaths, clutching herself, until eventually she had to sit to keep from passing out. As the sound of the storm rushed in her ears, Elsa crept next to her sister, hoping that being near her would be enough to curb her powers. Her fingers found themselves in the princess's hair and she could see the gentle, but slow, rise and fall of her breathing. At least for the time being, Anna was alive. She couldn't let herself agonize over the possibility of the ginger freezing solid once more, so she instead sent for books, the very ones she had nearly memorized in her youth as they mentioned her curse. There had to be something in there, and she spent the whole evening with her nose buried in the select tomes.

She refused to forsake her undertaking as the sun rose again and her sister did not.

The queen made her way into the library, removing another large stack of books that detailed fantastical stories of magic, hoping for a clue in the fairytales of old. They all spoke of true love, and if it wasn't Kristoff, then who could it possibly be?

An image of Hans came to the front of her mind, a teasing grin on his weasel-like lips. She growled, hardly able to control the rising levels of disdain. There was no way that cur of a prince _meant_ anything to Anna and despite her certainty, a gale force wind and curtain of hail defiantly blew the library window out behind her. The queen sealed it up with a layer of ice and looked down at her hands, shaking with a wordless terror that her powers were spiraling out of control once more. She realized that by now she was exhausted, but she also knew that Anna was still in danger.

She decided to stretch her legs, and toted one of the anthologies down to the kitchen with her so she could grab some food. Before she left the floor, she posted Kai at the entry of Anna's door with the order to seek her out in case of any stirring on her sister's part. She clawed through the pages impatiently, hoping to find some possible solution other than a prince's kiss or a sword through the spellcaster's heart. The more she read, the weaker she felt, and the more of her stress went into powering the storm. Feeling defeated, she dragged herself back upstairs, her heavy eyelids suggesting that she needed sleep or else she would lose the castle to an impossible sum of money in damages. Elsa was unsure if there was any emotion left in her at all as she made her ascent. To have come so close to finding happiness only to have it taken away by the ugly effects of a mistake she could never change… it really put a damper on whatever good mood she had been fostering so many hours ago.

Every fiber of the scared little girl that still lived in her wanted to run to her chambers, lock the door, and place the gloves on her hands where they would remain until she was buried with them. Elsa scorned that corner of her heart, but realized that it was the only voice in her head that was speaking with any passion. Everything else inside had hushed and become as lifeless as autumn leaves, disturbed only by an occasional spike of self-loathing or external anger.

The blonde sat on Anna's bed, pulled her knees tight to her chest, and leaned against the headboard. She stared out at the whiteout conditions brewing and took one of Anna's hands in hers. It was devoid of her usual exuberant warmth but Elsa held it close regardless, as she slipped into a restless sleep.

In the morning, she would find a solution.


	2. Cyclical

**I'm sorry this took so long. I needed some time to plot and I ended up losing my draft due to my stupidity. Anyway, the next update should be done much, ****_much_**** faster. Thank you for leaving feedback and expressing interest in this story. I can tell I'm about to have a lot of fun finishing the next few chapters.**

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Elsa felt something warm stirring in her grasp as an intense orange glow filtered into the room, signifying that morning had finally come. The storm clouds must have dissipated during her slumber, but that was hardly her primary concern, nor was it the biggest mystery currently occupying her thoughts. Anna's fingers wiggled slightly and Elsa quickly turned her attention to her sister. She was cautious at first, afraid that she was allowing a naïve sense of optimism to fool her own senses, but as a small murmur rose from the princess's throat, the queen unfurled her knees and faced the redhead, her eyes widening. Trying her hardest to produce an expression of greeting, she frantically subdued her desire to launch a full interrogation of the poor girl and as such, was caught off-guard when Anna climbed into her lap, shaking and weakly placing her arms around her sister's neck. Elsa had wanted nothing more than this just a day and a half ago, but the expectation had far surpassed the reality.

The redhead's temperature was slowly creeping back up to normal. She'd be radiating heat against the blonde's naturally cool skin any moment now, but the seconds that passed before then were torture. Elsa cradled her sister, wrapping an arm around her waist to support the trembling girl as she placed the other hand on her cheek. At first contact, Anna moved into the welcome touch. Soon, however, she shivered and nestled into her sister's collarbone. Elsa couldn't tell if the gentle shaking was a reaction to the cold or a series of soundless sobs, and she placed the now free hand atop the princess's head.

"Elsa… what happened?" Anna mumbled, her voice not yet back to full strength. She had finally stopped shaking, but the weakness in her tone cut the blonde just as deeply.

Try as she might, Elsa knew she could neither lie to her sister, nor could she offer a satisfactory explanation for what spell had possessed her. If she was to be completely honest, she'd have to admit that she was terrified beyond belief that her mistake had had lasting consequences and that it was taking all of her willpower not to reach for the gloves. At the same time, she couldn't look down at her sister and promise that everything would be alright just because she intended to read every book in the castle and not stop until she found a way to properly thaw the princess's heart. She was completely in the dark about whether this would ever happen again or if there would be waking consequences to deal with.

Biting her lip, Elsa struggled to find a middle ground that was precariously perched between comforting and informative. Leading off with the inexplicable fact that her sister's heart was still frozen would only lead to panic, so she settled with what she thought might cause them both the least amount of pain.

"I don't know."

She winced as soon as the words left her mouth. Pulling Anna tighter, she added, "But I'll figure it out. I swear you're safe."

Anna turned her face up to gaze at her sister. Elsa made the mistake of establishing eye contact. Staring into the younger woman's teal orbs reminded her of all of the pain, dread, and abject sadness she'd seen there in the past. It sickened her to remember how much of it she'd caused. She briefly glanced, with a bitter expression, down at her hands.

The ginger repositioned herself so that she was sitting up. She practically commanded Elsa's field of vision, even if she was far from an imposing presence in her current state. Neither of them dared break their gaze, even as Anna's grew steadily more imploring and Elsa's exponentially guiltier.

"I know I am," Anna said, gently, seeking her sister's hand and carefully grasping it with a reassuring squeeze. If there was one thing that would never change about her, it would be her unwavering faith in Elsa. Anyone else who woke up freezing next to their ice queen of a sister would likely only assume the worst. The ginger couldn't bring herself to fear or doubt when in the blonde's presence. Elsa found it positively maddening. It tore her heart in two to know that Anna felt so safe around her when, honestly, she was completely powerless at the present.

"Do you remember anything from before you…" she paused, unsure of what the proper term would be, "Fell asleep?"

The silence persisted, but it was obviously not from a lack of trying. Anna seemed to be searching for a long gone memory. It was clear to them both that her two-day long nap wasn't natural and yet the girl couldn't put into words exactly what was wrong. She managed after a few moments, "No. It was nothing out of the ordinary at first. I just felt the slightest bit of a chill and then I was out. Was I asleep for awhile?"

"Two days." That brought a shiver across the princess's shoulders and Elsa lightly touched her baby sister's arm and elaborated, "I'm sorry, Anna. Your heart hasn't thawed. I… I consulted the trolls and we're working on a solution."

"Is this going to happen again, then?" Anna meant for it to be a clinical question, as simple and asking for the forecast, but an unplanned tear escaped from the corner of her eye. She quickly bit her lip and turned away as guilt rose in her chest. The last thing she wanted to do was get emotional, but she was terrified. It would have been one thing if her slumber was soundless and cold. It so happened that she had just spent two days in something of a nightmare. Visions of Hans's blade, wolves, and tendrils of ice creeping over her skin played out behind her eyelids. As the temperature suddenly dropped, she had become terribly aware of how alone she was. She realized now that she hadn't been. She had woken up to find her diligent sister by her side, passed out but still dutifully clutching her hand. Would the answer really matter? Even if she did have to spend another handful of hours in that state, she trusted that Elsa would be there through it, no matter how long the spell would last. A somber what-if hovered in her mind and she tried to push it away before it became evident on her face.

Elsa couldn't stand it any longer. Her eyes followed the singular droplet as it traced the curve of her sister's cheek before she pulled her in for a tight hug. This wasn't supposed to be happening. Those weeks spent in idyllic bliss were to be the norm from there on out. She thought there would never again be a need to worry that her sister would slip through her fingers.

"If it does, I won't leave your side. Alright, snowflake? You don't have to be afraid."

They were empty promises, of course. She had nothing else to offer. Her powers would only exacerbate the problem, the swirling storm of doubt would only serve to slow the process of finding a solution if she allowed it to control her, and yet she had the most important thing in the world to her in her arms and she had to say _something_. Anna didn't seem to catch her sister's bluff as she leaned against the older woman. Their hearts thudded in a discordant rhythm.

When Elsa finally let go, Anna got to her feet, smoothing out her dress and composing herself the best she could. It was the first time she had been able to take in the damage to her door. The traces of frost remained a testament to the powerful surge of magic that had crumpled it as if it were no better than paper. As she turned back to look at the queen, Elsa could only offer an apologetic smirk of sorts. She wasn't exactly proud of the damage around the castle that she had caused in her tumult of grief.

The first few days after Anna's second thaw kept Elsa on edge. She tried not to be too overbearing, but it was hard to pry herself from her sister's side. Any slight stumble would result in a look of concern and it would take quite a few reminders from Anna that she was fine before Elsa would relax. It took an entire week of acting as her sister's guardian shadow before she was truly convinced that Anna wouldn't turn to ice and cease to be the moment she turned her back. The queen slowly returned to her routine in the library, obsessively leafing through whatever tomes spoke of magic to find _anything_ besides the taunting suggestion of true love's salvation.

Meanwhile, Anna had been having trouble falling asleep. She wouldn't let Elsa know that, for fear of distracting her and adding more stress on the queen's shoulder. During the evenings, if Elsa was in the library, Anna would soundlessly move to her room and wrap herself in the blankets, begging her eyelids to close.

As the month drew to a close, Elsa consulted Kai, mentioning her suspicion that Anna would succumb to the ice once again at the end of the month. Kai confirmed the timing, having noticed the fact that thirty days had been much too clean a number for a coincidence. This sent the queen's mind reeling. Having found that Anna had retired for the night, the queen made her way to her sister's door. She slumped against it, with a book in her hands as had become ritual as of late. However, instead of a collection of fairy tales, she was poring over a collection of names. It was an extensive list of suitors she had compiled for Anna from the local aristocracy and from agreeable trade partners. While she sincerely doubted that her sister's true love was a prince or baron, she found herself with no other choices. She wasn't about to let every common hopeful into the palace to pursue the princess's hand, and yet she knew their only hope would be on the lips of a stranger. Elsa just hoped they would find him soon. Scanning over countless names, she felt herself losing consciousness.

Anna had been pacing her room, unable to coax herself to sleep. She moved to her door, intending to travel down the hallway to pay her sister a visit, only to find that there was a certain unexpected weight as she pulled at the handle. Sticking her head out, she noticed that Elsa had fallen asleep against her door. With a small smile, she slipped out and shut the door behind her, careful not to disturb the queen. She cast an interested glance down at the small, leather-bound book that was held in her loose grasp. Sitting beside her sister, Anna placed her head in the queen's lap and spread out against the floor, blissfully unaware of the plans Elsa had been hatching to find her a prince.

She fell asleep quickly, only to wake up in her bed a few hours later, the blankets pulled meticulously around her.


End file.
